Rotary mixer

ABSTRACT

A motor-driven mixing apparatus for mixing creamy or pasty substances of various consistencies in measured batches. A container in the apparatus, which is filled with a liquid from a bottle by the operation of a first valve in connection with the discharge movement of the mixed batch, releases its contents into the mixing container by a second valve which is linked with the first valve when the mixing container is lifted into the operational position.

United States Patent 24,107,108. D16. 25. DlG. 26, DIG, 27

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,946,771 2/1934 Strongson 259/108 2,016,554 10/1935 Nichols 259/108 X 2,324,179 7/1943 Srob 259/108 2.409.067 10/1946 Reed 259/107 X 2,556,494 6/1957 Farquharson 259/24 2,612,353 9/1952 Steiner et al 259/24 Primary ExaminerEdward L. Roberts Attorney-Sparrow and Sparrow ABSTRACT: A motor-driven mixing apparatus for mixing creamy or pasty substances of various consistencies in measured batches. A container in the apparatus, which is filled with a liquid from a bottle by the operation of a first valve in connection with the discharge movement of the mixed batch, releases its contents into the mixing container by a second valve which is linked with the first valve whenthe mixing container is lifted into the operational position.

PATENTED JUN22 L9H ATTORNEY5 ROTARY MIXER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to mixing apparatus for producing substantially creamy or pasty products and particularly to portable apparatus which have a source ofliquid attached to it and a liquid-dosing device which functions automatically with the operation of the apparatus.

Mixing apparatus are known in the art which are motor driven and by which creamy or pasty substances are produced. Mixtures of the substances consist of powdery solid ingredients and of a liquid, in most cases water. In the prior art, the liquid is either manually added gradually or is fed into the mixing container directly by a water pipeline which is permanently attached to the apparatus. In the latter case, the apparatus is not movable but fixedly located in a certain position. It is also difficult to admix some specific additions to the mixing water, which is at least possible in the former kind of apparatus. However, it is not easy to keep the manually added liquid in the correct proportion as it may be required, so that the final mixture may vary from batch to batch. The problems arising from these conditions are intended to be overcome by this invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention consists in such novel features, construction, arrangements, combinations of parts and improvements as may be shown and described in connection with the apparatus herein disclosed by way of example only and as illustrative ofa preferred embodiment. The basic idea of the invention is to create a versatile apparatus which is independent of a certain location and which permits the use of a wide variety of liquid components of the final product. It yields also a consistently accurate mixture independent of the attention of the operator. Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part hereafter and in part will be obvious herefrom or may be learned by practicing the invention, the same being realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the appended claims.

It is an object of the invention to provide a portable mixer for creamy or pasty products of various consistencies which is independent ofa certain fixed location. It is a further object of the invention to provide a mixer for mixing powdery material with a liquid in intermittent batches.

Furthermore, it is an object of the invention to provide a mixer with an automatically functioning dosing device for the liquid which is contained in an exchangeable vessel.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mixer with a liquid-dosing and feeding device which is automatically operated in connection with the changing of the mixing container of the desired product.

Various further and more specific purposes, features and advantages will clearly appear from the detailed description given below taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which form part of this specification and illustrate merely by way of example one embodiment of the device of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the following description and in the claims, parts will be identified specific names for convenience, but such names are intended to be as generic in their application to similar parts as the art will permit. Like reference characters denote like parts in the several figures of the drawing, in which FIG. 1 shows a vertical section of a mixing apparatus according to the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a horizontal cross section of the apparatus taken along the line 2-2 in FIG. I.

' DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now in more detail to the drawing illustrating a preferred embodiment by which the invention may be realized, there is shown in FIG. 1 a housing 11 which has a base 12. Housing 11 has a cross brace 13 on which an electric motor 14 is located. The vertical shaft 15 of motor 14 carries a gear 16 which meshes with a gear 17 which is attached to a short vertical shaft 18. A second cross brace 19 is arranged parallel to cross brace 13 at a short distance from the latter. Cross brace 19 supports vertical shaft 18 which has a hollow end 20. The shaft end 21 of a mixing paddle 22 is fitted into hollow end 20. A mixing container 23, into which paddle 22 reaches downwards, is held against the underside of cross brace 19 by a support 24 which is glidingly movable on a vertical guide shaft 25.

Housing 11 has also a cup-shaped support 26 into which an inverted bottle'27 fits. Support 26 has a tubular neck 28 pointing downwards in which a valve body 29 is located on a shoulder 30. The neck 31 of bottle 27 is shaped in such manner that it may be screwed into valve body 29. Neck 31 I has also a gasket ring 32 made of rubber or suitable sealing plastic material so that a tight fit of neck 31 against valve body 29, may be attained. Valve body 29 has a valve seat 33 into which a ball 34 fits which is pressed against valve seat 33 by a spring 35.

A dosing container 36 is located below tubular neck 28 and valve body 29, supported by cross brace 19. Container 36 has a vertical stem 37 which is fixedly attached to a guide shaft 38 which is, in turn, attached to the bottom 39 of container 36. Guide shaft 38 is freely movable in a bore of cross brace 19.

A second valve 40 is located on top of cross brace 19 having a discharge port 41 leading through cross brace 19 into mixing container 23. Valve 40 is connected with dosing container 36 by a flexible hose 42. Valve 40 has a valve seat 43 into which the ball-shaped end 44 of a vertically movable shaft 45 sealingly fits. Shaft 45 is articulatedly connected to one arm of a swingably arranged double-arm 46 which is mounted on a shaft 50 supported by a bearing 51. The other arm of doublearm lever 46 is articulatedly connected with the downwardly arranged part 47 of the support 48 of guide shaft 38. Part 47, freely glides through a bore 49 of cross brace 19.

A double-arm lever 52 is pivotably mounted on a shaft 53. A short upper arm 54 of lever 52 has cam-shaped end 55 abutting against support 48, whereas a longer arm 56 of lever 52 points downwards carrying a roller 57. The rear side 58 of glidingly movable support 24 is arranged to operatively engage roller 57 when support 24 is moved downwards. A microswitch 59 is attached to cross brace 19 in such manner that the upper end of support 24 closes the contacts for setting motor 14 in motion and opens the contacts when it is moved downwards for withdrawing container 23, thus stopping motor 14.

The operation of the mixer is performed as follows: A predetermined amount of the powdery component part of the mixture is placed into container 23. Bottle or receptacle 27 has been filled with the required liquid. Since the neck 31 is sealed against valve body -29 and since closing container 36 is lifted together with stem 37 which lifts ball 34 against spring 35, liquid can flow into dosing container 36. Support 24 is in its downward position, resting on base 12 and had swung lever-arm 56 outwardly by roller 57 having been displaced by rear side 58 of support 24, thus lifting part 48 by upper-arm 54. When support 24 now is moved upwardly into its uppermost position, dosing container 36 is lowered down to cross brace 19, ball 34 closes against valve seat 33, and by virtue of double-arm lever 46 ball valve 40 is opened admitting the dosed amount of liquid of container 36 to mixing container 23. At the same instant, motor 14 is switched on by microswitch 59 operated by support 24 in the uppermost position thereof against cross brace 19. When the mixing operation is completed, support 24 is lowered, thus opening microswitch 59, ball valve 40 is closed, ball 34 is lifted and dosing container 36 is filled anew. A new mixing cycle can be started.

While the invention has been described and illustrated with respect to a certain preferred example which gives satisfactory results, it will be understood by those skilled in the art after understanding the principle of the convention, that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and it is intended therefore in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications.

We claim:

I. A portable power-operated mixer for substantially creamy products of various consistencies, comprising a housing and a base, an electric motor in said housing, a vertically arranged shaft driven by'said motor, a mixing paddle releasably connected with said shaft, and a receptacle for a miscible liquid located on said housing; said mixer comprising a mixing container engageable with said paddle, container holding means for supporting said mixing container and for lifting and lowering said mixing container into and out of operating positions, respectively, means for admitting said mixing liquid from said receptacle to said mixing container, said admitting means including a dosing container beneath said receptacle, first valve means between said dosing container and said receptacle, for filling said dosing container with a predetermined quantity of said miscible liquid when said container holding means is in lowered position, and second valve means between said dosing container and said containerholding means for discharging said liquid from said dosing container into said mixing container when said container holding means is in raised position; and switch means connected to said electric motor and actuated by said container holding means when in raised position wherein said mixing container is in lifted operating position, said switch means connecting said electric motor so that said motor operates when said container-holding means is in raised position.

2, A portable power-operated mixer according to claim ll, and mechanical means for operating said liquid-admitting means, said mechanical means actuated by said lifting and lowering means. i

3. A portable power-operated mixer for substantially creamy products of various consistencies, comprising a housing and a base, an electric motor in said housing, a vertically arranged shaft driven by said motor, a mixing paddle releasably connected with said shaft, and a receptacle substantially at the top of said housing for storing a miscible liquid; said mixer comprising a mixing container engageable with said paddle, means for lifting and lowering said mixing container into and out of operating positions respectively, and means for admitting said mixing liquid from said receptacle to said mixing container; said liquid-admitting means comprising a dosing container beneath said receptacle and within said housing for receiving said miscible liquid from said receptacle, a first valve between said receptacle and said dosing container for filling periodically said dosing container with said liquid, a second valve between said dosing container and said mixing container for admitting said liquid from said dosing container to said mixing container, and a flexible hose line between said dosing container and said second valve for connecting said dosing container with said second valve to form a flow path for said miscible liquid from said dosing container to said second valve. I

4. A portable power-operated mixer according to claim 3, and double-arm lever means swingably arranged in said housing, said lever means operating said first and said second valve, said first valve being closed when said second valve is open, and vice versa 5. The mixer as defined in claim 1, including a storage bottle in inverted position supported at the top of said housing and storing said mixing liquid. 

1. A portable power-operated mixer for substantially creamy products of various consistencies, comprising a housing and a base, an electric motor in said housing, a vertically arranged shaft driven by said motor, a mixing paddle releasably connected with said shaft, and a receptacle for a miscible liquid located on said housing; said mixer comprising a mixing container engageable with said paddle, container holding means for supporting said mixing container and for lifting and lowering said mixing container into and out of operating positions, respectively, means for admitting said mixing liquid from said receptacle to said mixing container, said admitting means including a dosing container beneath said receptacle, first valve means between said dosing container and said receptacle, for filling said dosing container with a predetermined quantity of said miscible liquid when said container holding means is in lowered position, and second valve means between said dosing container and said container- holding means for discharging said liquid from said dosing container into said mixing container when said container holding means is in raised position; and switch means connected to said electric motor and actuated by said container holding means when in raised position wherein said mixing container is in lifted operating position, said switch means connecting said electric motor so that said motor operates when said container-holding means is in raised position.
 2. A portable power-operated mixer according to claim 1, and mechanical means for operating said liquid-admitting means, said mechanical means actuated by said lifting and lowering means.
 3. A portable power-operated mixer for substantially creamy products of various consistencies, comprising a housing and a base, an electric motor in said housing, a vertically arranged shaft driven by said motor, a mixing paddle releasably connected with said shaft, and a receptacle substantially at the top of said housing for storing a miscible liquid; said mixer comprising a mixing container engageable with said paddle, means for lifting and lowering said mixing container into and out of operating positions respectively, and means for admitting said mixing liquid from said receptacle to said mixing container; said liquid-admitting means comprising a dosing container beneath said receptacle and within said housing for receiving said miscible liquid from said receptacle, a first valve between said receptacle and said dosing container for filling periodically said dosing container with said liquid, a second valve between said dosing container and said mixing container for admitting said liquid from said dosing container to said mixing container, and a flexible hose line between said dosing container and said second valve for connecting said dosing container with said second valve to form a flow path for said miscible liquid from said dosing container to said second valve.
 4. A portable power-operated mixer according to claim 3, and double-arm lever means swingably arranged in said housing, said lever means operating said first and said second valve, said first valve being closed when said second valve is open, and vice versa
 5. The mixer as defined in claim 1, including a storage bottle in inverted position supported at the top of said housing and storing said mixing liquid. 